Draft member



Patented Dec. 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT orifice MARK H. MARTIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR T THE SYMINGTON COM- PNY, OF NEW YORK, N.' Y., A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND DRAFT MEMBER Application led August 24, 1925. Serial No. 52,062.

An object of myinvention is the provision of a combined coupler striking member and carrier which is preferably provided with integral slotted gear lugs having the slot, bosses thereof extending into slots in the cooperating center sills, the rear portions of the slots in the draft lugs being reinforced and strengthened by rearwardly extending portions similar in character to those shown in the Western Patent #1,474,988.

Another object of my invention is the prevision .of a combined casting adapted for connection adjacent the ends of the center sills of a car and, when in place, extending beyond said ends whereby the necessary length of said center sills may be decreased. Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved end construction for car underframes wherein anintegral member is provided extending between the ends of the center sills of the car for rigidly tying said ends together and functioning as a coupler striking casting and carrier iron, said members also having connected thereto cheek plates formed with lugs adapted to cooperate with the front follower of associated draft gear. f

A still further object of .my invention is the improvement in the end construction of underframes for railway cars in which the center sills are made relatively short and provided with slots in the webs thereof extending to the ends, said sills being then reinforced and tied together at their ends by an'integral member inserted therebetween with bosses extending into the slots thereof and abutting a ainst the inner ends of said slots, said mem er being long enough to extend beyond the ends of the sills and increase the effective length thereof and provided with portions functioning respectively as a striking casting, coupler carrier iron, cheek plates and lug portions forming stops for the front follower of an associated draft gear.

There are other objects and advantages of my invention which will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

Referringto the drawing illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is defined by the appended claims:

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional View through a car underframe embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a partial plan and partial horizontil sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure Figure 3 is lan outer end view of the construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there are illustrated center sills 1 connected to an end sill 2 in the usual manner. Between said center sills 1 and underneath the end sill 2, there is connected a combined draft member 3, said draft member preferably being connected to the webs 4 of the center sills by rivets 5 and to the cover plate 16 and the lower flange of the end sill by rivets 6.

The combined casting is formed with a portion 7 serving as a striking casting for limiting the movement of a coupler member, indicated diagrammatically at 8, and a coupler carrier iron or sill tie portion 9, both of said portions extending transversely between the center sills 1 and serving to connect the side and rearwardly or inwardly extending portions 10 of the integral member together. Said rearwardly extending portions 10, through which the rivets 5 extend for connection with the center sills, are preferably formed with longitudinally extending slots 11 for the reception of the usual form of draft rigging key 12.

T he rearward edges of the portions 10 of the combined casting 3 are preferably reinforced by inwardly extending flanges 13, said flanges increasing in width forwardly and upwardly, and finally uniting to form a web 14 extending beneath the end sill 2 and serving to more rigidly unite the portions 10 of the casting. The forward or outward portion 15 of the web 14 is preferably upwardly offset, as indicated, forming a shoulder against which the forward ends of the cover plate 16 of the center sills abut.

The web portions 4 of said center sills may extend slightly beyond the corer plate portions, as indicated, and said webs are preferably formed with slots 18 extending to the ends of said webs, for a purpose to be more fully explained hereinafter.

The rearwardly extending portions 10 of the combined casting 3 are preferably provided with bosses 19 extending outwardly or transversely from the planes of the main portions thereof and adapted to enter corresponding slots 18 formed in the center sills 1. On accountof said slots 18 being extended to the end of said center sills. said combined'casting may be inserted in place after said center sills are positioned and connected together as said .bosses 19 lnay be slid along the slots 18 fiom the outer to the inner ends thereof. TWhen in position, as illustrated, the outer end of the casting 3 may extend beyond the ends of the center sills because of its reat strength and rigid construction, serving to increase the effective length thereof and thereby making it permissible to use sills of shorter lengths. The transverse outer flange portions of the sides 10 are desirably braced by gussets 19 disposed between the rear faces of said tiange portions and the outer faces of the sides 10.

The vertically extending or upright portions 20 of the flanges 13 of the portions 10 form, in effect. draft gear lugs which act as abutments or forward stops for the front follower member, illustrated diagrammatically at 17. These stop portions 20 are reinforced not only by the upwardly and forwardly extending port-ions of the ange 13 and the downwardly and forwardly extending portions of said flange, but also by triangular web or gusset portions 2l. which preferably partially frame the rearward portion of the slots 11 and curve around the ends thereof to increase the effective width of the draft lug portion 2() adjacent said slots.

The boss 19, as will be apparent, also effectsv in each portion 10 an increase in the strength of the lug at this point, especially as it is preferably extended rearwardly, as indicated at 22, where it fills the extreme rear or inner end of the slot 18 and forms a very strong reinforcement for the end of the casting 3 adjacent the ends of the slots 11. The height ot' said extension 22, as illustrated particularly in Figure 1, is preferably less than the height of the casting 3 and, in the present embodiment, is merely equal to the width of the slot 18 so that the said extension is completely embraced between the adjacent portions of the center sill web at the ends of the slot therein.

The coupler striking portion 7 of the combined member 3 preferably comprises the horizontal web portion 15 of the casting, the vertical portion 23. and the lower horizontal portion 24 which forms a U-shaped member extending between the side portions of the casting for tying said portions, as well as the center sills, together. Said U-shaped portion is preferably reinforced not only b the rearwardly extending portions 10 o the member but by rearwardly extending intermediate webs 25. the rearward portions of which gradually decrease in depth and merge into the upper web or shelf portion 14, at the inner edge thereof.

The coupler carrier iron portion 9 is also U-shaped in cross-section, as illustrated, with a horizontal web portion 26 and depending flange portions 27 extending between thel rearwardly extending side portions 10 of the casting for further rigidifying the same. Said carrier iron portion 9 may be protected, if desired, by a coupler wear plate 28 applied thereover, as illustrated. The depending iange portions 27 may be braced together, if desired, by an intermediate web portion 29 extending therebetween.

The coupler 8 of any desired type may be connected with the yoke, illustrated diagrammatically at 30 and preferably of the vertical type, byfmeans of the key 12. As is usual, the rearward portion of said yoke 30 may embrace a. rear follower member normally abutting a. stop casting, the cushioning mechanism illustrated diagrammatically by dot and dash lines being positioned between said follower and front follower member 17.

It will be apparent that by virtue of my improved construction, I am enabled to assemble and connect together the center sills of a car which may be shorter than usual and then insert and rivet thereto my combined casting which functions as a front striking casting and coupler carrier iron and is provided with draft gcar lugs or abutments and furnished with bosses reinforcing the ends of the casting adjacent the necessary draft key slots therein and extending into center sill slots for improving the strength of connelflztion between said casting and the center s1 s.

By virtue of the cheek plate portions of the casting being riveted on the inner sides lof the center sills with the lug portions 2O extending inwardly and the boss portions 19 and 22 extending outwardly and rea1\\'ardly, respectively, great strength is effected at said draft lugs, particularly in the vicinity of the draft key slots and the wearing areas at the inner ends of said slots are much increased.

Although l have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my inrentiomit will be understood that modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. v

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with the draft sills of a car, a combined casting adapted to cooperate with an associated coupler and comprising a striking portion, a sill tie portion normally extending below said coupler, and side portions reinforced at their outer ends by trans- Verse flanges substantially aligned with the striking portion, said side portions extending rearwardly along the inner faces of the sills to form cheek plates terminating in front draftlugs, said cheek plate portions being slotted with the rear ends of the slotted portions reinforced by bosses, the inner portions of said bosses tapering forwardly to merge into the inner faces of the cheek plates and reinforce the draft lugs, the outer portions of said bosses extending through corresponding slots in the sills and tapering forwardly to merge into the outer faces of said cheek plate portions, said outer boss portions being extended rearwardly of said draft lugs to engage the rear portion of correspondingly extended slotted portions in the draft sills, said sill slots being extended outwardly to the ends of said sills to permit assembly of said casting therewith after assembly of the sills, lthat portion of said casting forwardly of the striking casting and sill tie portions being extended beyond the ends of the sills and the transverse flanges on the side portions thereof being reinforced by triangular gussets extending between the rear faces of said flanges and the outer faces of the side portions of the casting, the upper ends of the draft lugs being reinforced by diagonally extending webs connecting with a top shelf portion on the casting which extends rearwardly from and reinforces the striking portion thereof, the lower portions of said draft lugs being reinforced by downwardly and forwardly tapering flanges extending along the lower edges of the side portions of the casting toward the sill tie portion thereof.

2. An integral draft casting adapted for connection to sills of a car and comprising a striking portion havingA an outer face, a coupler carrier portion, and side portions, the

'outer ends of which side portions are widened and formed with forward faces in approximate alinement with said outer face of the striking portion, said side portions extending rearwardly and 'adapted for connection to the inner faces of draft sills to form cheek plates terminating in draft lugs, said cheek plate portions being slotted with the rear ends of the slotted portions reinforced by bosses, the inner portions'of said bosses reinforcing the draft lugs and tapering forwardly to merge into the inner faces of the cheek plate portions, the outer portions of said bosses being adapted to extend through corresponding slots in the sills and tapering forwardly to merge into the outer faces of said cheek plate portions, the widened ortions at the front of the side portions of t e casting being reinforced by means extending from the outer faces of saidside portions, atop shelf portion on the casting extending rearwardly from and reinforcing the striking portion thereof, means connectlng the upper ends of said draft lugs with said shelf portion, the lower portions of said draft lugs being reinforced by tapering flanges extending along the lower edges of the side portions toward the coupler carrier portion thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix m signature.

MARK H. ARTIN. 

